Top 5 common social media mistakes

Before venturing online to craft a social media profile for a brand, a marketing team might want to check themselves against a list of common mistakes. Don’t get lured into the pitfalls that can befall a brand.

Here are five common social media mistakes to avoid:

1. Not being transparent. In the collective social market and current modern perspective, transparency is key. Consumers are looking to communicate with a brand in a more personable manner. As a result, all efforts in branding your business should remain as transparent and honest as possible.

2. Over posting. According to Facebook, the average user likes four to six new pages each month. In order to keep these users engaged, it is important to focus on crafting high-quality, engaging content once a day rather in contrast to flooding a user’s newsfeed with lackluster posts.

3. Boring profile. Keep a social media profile up-to-date and make sure it is entirely filled out. Leaving anything blank is a lost chance to build on your brand image. Use cover photos, company information and the ‘about’ section to create a bit of personality behind the brand.

4. Not communicating with customers. Don’t let a social media profile remain a one-way communication device. In contrast to traditional marketing mediums, social media is best when a campaign works to create a two-way conversation between the brand and consumers. Along with talking to potential customers, make sure to use tagging options on Twitter or Facebook to bolster engagement.

5. Too sales oriented. Pushing sales and products constantly can have a negative impact on a brand’s image with a social media user. The pressure the pitch creates will eventually drive individuals to unlike or unfollow a company or product.

If your brand’s social media use is falling into any of these categories, you may want to consider revamping the campaign strategy.

Martin Jones is a Senior Marketing Manager with the corporate Cox Communications social media team where he assists in leading strategy, campaign ideation and marketing execution for Cox Business social media & content marketing. Today, over 1 million fans engage with Cox Communications content, campaigns and Customer Care on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube. LinkedIn and Google+.